Food Safety and Harmonisation

What is HARPS?

HARPS is a retailer‑led, voluntary scheme launched in October 2016 that aligns the food safety, trade, and legal requirements of Australia’s major grocery retailers—ALDI, Coles, Woolworths, Costco, Metcash (IGA)—plus Harris Farm Markets, HelloFresh, and some McDonald’s suppliers—into a single certification system. This eliminates the need for multiple retailer‑specific audits if you’re certified under a recognised GFSI‑benchmarked base scheme (Freshcare, GLOBALG.A.P., SQF or BRC) plus HARPS

Why It Matters to Passionfruit Growers

  • If you supply passionfruit directly or indirectly to retail chains or pack fruit into final retail packaging (e.g. retail trays, PLUs, branded packs), you’re likely considered a Tier 1 or Tier 2 supplier and must be HARPS certified
  • HARPS ensures all critical issues—food safety (e.g. foreign object control, microbiological risk), labelling, weights/measure compliance—are covered beyond what base schemes require

Who Needs HARPS Certification?

  • Direct suppliers (Tier 1): Businesses that sell packed fruit directly to retailers. You must hold both a base GFSI scheme and HARPS certification—mandatory since 1 January 2018
  • Indirect suppliers (Tier 2): Those who grow or pack fruit that passes through a Tier 1 supplier. You require HARPS certification if packing into final retail packaging or labeling to retailer specs.

How HARPS Certification Works

  1. Select a GFSI‑benchmark base standard suited to your operations:
    • Freshcare Food Safety & Quality
    • GLOBALG.A.P.
    • SQF (Level 3)
    • BRCGS
  2. Engage a HARPS‑approved certification body/auditor. Many offer combined audits (base scheme + HARPS) to streamline the process
  3. Complete the HARPS Pre‑Assessment Checklist to identify gaps prior to audit—available from the HARPS document library
  4. Undertake your audit (integrated) and close out any non‑conformances. Once approved, your certification is issued, certificates include a scannable Smart Fingerprint for authenticity.
  5. Renew your certification according to the schedule required by your Retail Customers and ensure you maintain both base scheme and HARPS standards

HARPS Version 2.0 (Launched October 2022)

  • The Version 2.0 Standard came into effect on 17 October 2022. Tier 1 suppliers had until 17 April 2023, Tier 2 until 16 October 2023, to transition
  • Version 2.0 includes updated elements, guidance documents, and clarifications around areas such as manure use, trade‑measurement, labelling, and insurance.

Practical Tips for Passionfruit Growers

  • Evaluate your supply chain status: Do you pack fruit into the final retail packaging or supply via market agents? If yes, your business is likely in scope for HARPS
  • Choose a certification body that audits your base scheme and is approved for HARPS and accepted by the retailers you sell to
  • Complement HARPS with farm‑QA systems (e.g. Freshcare) to best meet both food safety and retailer requirements.

Key Resources & Links for Passionfruit Growers

Getting Started

  1. Decide if you’re Tier 1 or Tier 2 supplier based on packaging and retail flow
  2. Attend a HARPS awareness session or workshop for tailored guidance
  3. Download the Pre-Assessment Checklist and Version 2.0 standard from HARPS Online
  4. Engage a HARPS-approved certification body that covers your base scheme
  5. Undergo the combined audit and ensure non-conformances are closed
  6. Promote your certification (e.g. using the HARPS logo) to show retailers your compliance

So, what is a compliant program that contains these base standards?

All the major Australian grocery retailers have worked together collaboratively under the Stakeholder Working Group (SWG) to identify these base standards. They have judged that the following programs are compliant to HARPS for indirect suppliers:

Find out more about the base standards